Package top sealing apparatus



March 3, 1953 J. RIEMER PACKAGE TOP SEALING APPARATUS 7 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed Nov. 4. 1947 March 3, 1953 J. RIEMER PACKAGE TOP SEALING APPARATUS7 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 4, 1947 l r I J5Z J| 55 i 193 .7539 j flllllllll I r i L J36 4% Fa jade/#15)? (foi/ul/ .PzZe /ner March 3, 1953J. RIEMER 2,629,977

PACKAGE TOP SEALING APPARATUS Filed Nov. 4. 1947 7 Sheets-Sheet s March3, 1953 J. RIEMER PACKAGE- TOP S-EALING APPARATUS 7 Sheets-Sheet 4 FiledNov. 4. 1947 March 3, 1953 J. RIEMER PACKAGE TOP SEALING APPARATUS 7Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed NOV. 4. 1947 March 3, 1953 J. RIE'MER PACKAGE TOPSEALING APPARATUS 7 Sheets-Sheet '7 Filed Nov. 4, 1947 Patented Mar. 3,1953 PACKAGE TOP SEALING APPARATUS John Biemer, Chicago, Ill., assignorto Kraft Foods Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of DelawareApplication November 4, 1947, Serial No. 783,939

Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus for sealing the tops of bags orother containers which have previously been filled with material, andthe invention is more particularly concerned with mechanism for closingthe bag-like liner of a paperboard tray or like container such as isemployed for packaging cheese and perhaps other products. In thepreparation of such package, a

paperboard tray is initially lined with a suitable impervious material,the liner being so applied and so formed that the portions thereof whichline the side walls of the tray extend upwardly beyond the upper edgesof the said side walls and are adapted to be folded inwardly over thetop of the material with which the lined tray is filled so as to closethe container.

One apparatus for closing and sealing containers of the type hereinreferred to is shown in U. S. Patent No. 2,331,927 to Palmer, October19, 1943, and this application is concerned with certain refinements andimprovements on the said Palmer patent mechanism.

The main objects of the present invention are to provide a mechanism ofthe character indicated which will receive the filled but open toppedpackages one by one from a filling machine and unerringly transfer thesame to a conveyor for conducting the packages through mechanisms whichperform the operations of closing and sealing the package; to provideimproved mechanism for closing the package and sealing thesame alonglines extending both longitudinally and transversely of the package andits direction of travel through the apparatus; to provide such improvedclosing and sealing mechanism which will be operative during travel ofthe package in a unitary direction, and which will be operative duringcontinuous or uninterrupted travel of the package; to providemechanism'for ejecting the package from the closing and sealingapparatus and delivering it to the conveyor and other apparatus forsubsequently acting on the package without turning the package, but atthe same time shifting the package laterally from the path of travel ofthe conveyor of the closing and sealing apparatus to the path of travelof the conveyor of the subsequent mechanism which may be laterallyofiset relative to the sealing apparatus conveyor; and, in general, itis the object of the present invention to provide an improved packageclosing and sealing apparatus of the character indicated.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be understood byreference to the followin specification and accompanying drawings (7sheets) wherein there is disclosed apparatus embodying a selected formof the invention, and designed for the purpose of closing and sealingcheese packages lined with thermoplastic or thermoplastically coatedlining material. 7

The foregoing reference to the closing and sealing of cheese packages isnot intended to limit the applicability of the apparatus to thepackaging of other materials, and this mentionof cheese packaging occursmerely because the. present apparatus was designed for thatpurpose, andthis particular apparatus is herein illustrated and described asrepresenting a satisfactory exemplification of the invention.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view and Fig. 2 is a crosssection approximately onthe line 2-2 of Fig. '1, these views illustrating mechanism forreceiving the open packages and placing them on a conveyor for carriagethrough closing and sealing mechanism;

Fig. 3 is a plan, and Fi 4 is a cross-section approximately on the line44 of Fig. 3, these views representing a portion of the apparatus towhich open and unsealed packages are delivered from the mechanism shownin Fig. 1, and whereby the packages are closed;

Fig. 5 is a plan, and Fig. 6 is a cross-section on the line 66 of Fig.5, these views representing a portion of the apparatus which acts on thepackages to partially seal the same in closed condition;

Fig. 7 is a plan, and-Fig. 8 is a section approximately on the line 88of Fig. 7, these views illustrating mechanism by which sealing of thepackage is completed and whereby the sealed package is transferred toanother conveyor which is laterally offset from the conveyor of thesealing apparatus;

Figs. 9 and 10 are cross-sections respectively approximately on thelines -9-9 and 10-4-0 of Fig.8;

Fig. 11 is an enlargement of certain elements of mechanism appearingalso in Fig. 4;

Fig. 12 is a side elevation on an enlarged scale of a unit of mechanismwhich appears also in the top plan view in Fig. 3';

Fig. 13 is a section on the line 13-13 of Fig. 12;

Figs. 14, 15 and 16 are perspective illustrations respectively of thetop of the package delivered to the present apparatus, an intermediatecondition of the package, and the final condition of the package asdischarged from the present apparatus.

The package which the present apparatus closes and seals is representedin Fig. 14. It consists of a paperboard outer container I which is ofgenerally rectangular formation having a bottom wall and a side wallextending upwardly therefrom, the details of construction of thecontainer being of any desirable form, and of no importance in respectof the present subject. The container I is lined with a sheet ofthermoplastic or thermoplastically coated sheeting represented at 2, theliner extending upwardly beyond the upper edges of the container I toprovide material which is adapted to be folded over the top of thecontent of the package and sealed to provide a substantially air-tightand moisture-proof package. The package as received by the presentapparatus has already been filled with cheese (or other material), thetop surface of which is represented at 3, and the level of which isapproximately in the plane of the top edges of the outer container I.

During the travel of the package through the present apparatus, the endportions 4 and of the upstanding liner are folded outwardly and theupstanding side portions 6 and I of the liner are folded inwardly overthe top 3 of the package content, the upper marginal portions of the endand side walls being brought into upstanding face-to-face relation toproduce a structure as illustrated in Fig. 15. In Fig. 15, the packageis illustrated as having outwardly extending end ears 8 and 9 formed asa result of the outward folding of said end portions 4 and 5 of theliner, and upstanding face-to-face flange-like portions I0 formed as theresult of bringing together the side portions 6 and I of the liner wallsas afore said. During the passage of the package through the presentapparatus, the upstanding flanges ID are sealed together and then foldeddown into face-to-face engagement with the top of the package so thatwhen the package is discharged from the present apparatus it appears asshown in Fig. 16.

Filled, open-top packages, such as represented in Fig. 14, are deliveredto the present apparatus by a conveyor I I (Figs. 1 and 2) which issupported in the present apparatus by a pulley I2 carried by a shaft I3.The shaft I3 is journalled in suitable bearings, one of which isrepresented at I4, which are carried by a part of the frame structure ofthe present apparatus. The belt II also extends around a suitable pulleyconstituting a part of the package filling machine, or the belt maymerely be a conveyor belt for transferring the filled packages from thefilling machine to the present closing and sealing apparatus.

The conveyor II enters the present apparatus in the direction indicatedby the arrow thereon, and it carries the filled, open packages in anendwise direction to deliver them successively against the free endportion I6 of a stop arm IT. The stop arm I! is pivoted intermediate itsends as indicated at I8 on the top plate I9 of the apparatus, the saidtop plate being supported by the frame structure 20, all parts of whichare herein referred to by this reference number 20. The opposite end ofthe stop arm I! is connected by a spring 2I to a spring anchor 22 whichis also secured to the top plate I9. The spring 2| is a relatively lightspring which is strong enough to rock the lever II, but not strongenough to resist opposite rocking of the lever under the force of acontainer directed against the arm end I6 by the conveyor II. Rocking ofthe stop arm '4 under the force on a container delivered thereagainst islimited by an adjustable set screw 23.

A conveyor 24 (see Fig. 2) is provided for propelling the packagescontinuously through the various operating units of the mechanism, thesaid conveyor being a chain conveyor which is supported at its receivingend by a sprocket 25 which is carried by a shaft '26, the latter beingsuitably journalled in bearings carried by the frame structure asrepresented at 21 (Fig. 1). This conveyor 24 is offset laterally fromthe line of the delivery conveyor II, and as illustrated, it is offsetin this instance a distance approximating twice the width of thecontainers. There is no special significance in this relationshipbetween the container width and the spacing of the conveyor 24 from theconveyor II except to indicate that the spacing is substantial. It ispreferred to employ two steps of movement to deliver the containerslaterally from the conveyor II to the conveyor 24, especially in view ofthe fact that the conveyor 24 is propelled continuously while thepackage is initially at rest relative to the travel of the conveyor 24,and thus has considerable inertia to being moved endwise by the conveyor24. To facilitate transfer of the packages over the wide spaceindicated, and to initiate endwise travel of the packages withoutimposing intermittent shock loads on the conveyor 24, the followingtwo-step transfer mechanism is provided.

The packages delivered to the present apparatus are guided by guide rods28 and 29, respectively, located along the side edges of the conveyorII. As shown in Fig. 1, the filled container I has been deliveredagainst the stop arm portion I6 and is in position for initialtransverse movement into the path of travel of an in termediate orauxiliary conveyor 30 which travels continuously over sprockets 3| and32 on the shafts I3 and 26, respectively. The conveyor 30 is providedwith pusher arms 33 (Fig. 2) at suitably spaced intervals for engagingthe rear end of the package delivered thereto so as to pick up andpropel the package in the endwise direction. in which the package is tobe moved through the apparatus.

A pusher 34 is supported for horizontal sliding movement crosswise ofthe path of the direction of travel of the containers, by means of apusher slide 35 which is horizontally slidably mounted on the undersideof the table plate I9 through the agency of suitable guides 3636 whichare suitably secured to the underside of the table plate IS. The pusherslide 35 has a depending ear 3'! (Fig. 2) which is connected by means ofa short link 38 to the free end of the arm 39 by a bell crank lever, theother arm 40 of which has its free end provided with a cam followingroller M (Fig. 1) adapted to engage a rotating cam (not shown) mountedon the rotatably driven shaft 42 which is suitably journalled inbearings carried by the frame structure.

The cam which is not shown is similar to the cam 43 (Fig. 2), and thebell crank comprising the arms 39 and 40 is similar to the bell crank 44which actuates a second transfer pusher which will presently bedescribed. The cam 43 and bell crank 44 as seen in Fig. 2 conceal thecam which acts on the bell crank arm 40, and the bell crank 44 similarlyconceals the bell crank arms 39 and 40, wherefore they do not appear inFig. 2. The cam which actuates the bell crank arms 39 and 40 and thepusher 34 is properly shaped and timed-to effect lateralshifting of thecontainer a I so that the container will be delivered over the conveyor30 in front of one of the conveyor pushers 33 rather than against theside of the finger. This timing is, of course, effected byinter-connecting the shaft 26 with the cam shaft 42 by means of drivinggears or chains or by other suitable means whereby these shafts may betimed relative to each other. Such driving connections are well known tothose skilled in the art, and, therefore, not herein illustrated.

An auxiliary guide rail 45 (Fig. 1) is provided to limit the transversemovement of the containor by the pusher 34. Thi guide rail is suitablymounted on the table plate l9, and may be fabricatedas a part oi theguide rail 29 substantially as illu trated.

The package. which has been initially transferred to the intermediateconveyor 39 will, of course, be propelled endwise by that conveyor, andit will thereby be brought alongside a second pusher 46 which iselongated, as shown, in the direction of travel of the package. Thepusher 46 is mounted for transverse sliding movement through the agencyof a slide member 4'! which is slidably mounted in guides d848 which aresecured to the underside of the table top IS. The slide ii isreciprocated through the agency of a link 49 which has its endsconnected respectively to an ear 59 depending from the slide 41 and theupper end of one arm of the bell crank lever 44, the other arm of whichhas its end provided with a cam following roller Ma for engagement withthe rotating cam 43.

Springs indicated at 51 and 52 are provided for yieldingly urging thepushers to move in their operative directions, and the cams retract thepusher. The spring is stretched between an anchor bracket 53 andanattaching ear M which is secured to the slide 35. Similarly, the spring52 has one end secured to an anchoring bracket 55 and its other endsecured to a spring attaching bracket 56 which is secured to the pusherslide 41. In the event of any obstruction to the normal transferringmovement of the pushers, the springs El and 52 will yield, that is tosay, they will not force the pushers to the extent of causing breakageif normal movement is obstructed, and the movement of the pushers is, ofcourse, timed by the cams which also serve to retract the pushers asalready indicated.

The pusher it is elongated, as aforesaid, so that it will e operativeainst the package which is in endwise movement as. a result ofitsengagem nt y the auxiliary conveyor 30, and l o as a r sult of i s:subsequen eng gem nt with the main onveyor 25. By. elonga ing thes c ndpusher at. the pack ge will p sitively be positioned squar ly in t epath. f travel f the c nveyor 24 with one side of the package in guidingengagement with the guide rail 57. As the package advances with theconveyor24, its travel is additionally guided by a guide rod 58 so thatthe travel of the package is normally guided between the said guiderails 5'! and 58.

The bell crank i l and the bell crank comprising the arms 39 and iii arepivotally mounted on a shaft 59 which is suitably supported in bracketssecured to the frame structure.

The conveyor 24 is provided with upstanding pusher arms 6!! which aresuitably secured to the conveyor chain 2 3, Said pushers so have narrowcentral arms 6], upper end cross arms 62, the width of which isapproximately the same as the width of the packages being propelled, and

, .lowerend cross arms 63 which are formed to slidably fit in guide ways64 and 85 formed in. agulde strip 66which is secured to the bottom ofthe table top l9, and additionally supported through the agency ofbrackets (not shown) connected to the frame structure. The lowercrossarms or bases 63 of the pushers are elongated in the direction oftravel of the pushers as shown in Fig. 3 so that the pushers areeffectively guided against turning in their tracks. The length of thebases 63 together with their depth also serves to prevent tipping of thepushers rearwardly because of resistance of the package to movement, thesaid base thickness being such as to fit between the. bottoms of theways 64 and 65 nd the underside of the ta le plate l9. solearly shown inFig. 2.

The heads 52 of the p he s are widened in th direction of travel f theconveyor so as to form anvils or platens over which One or the end ears(5 or 9) of the container p ck e will e positioned for sealing purposesas will presently be explained. For. a similar sealing purpose, theconveyor 24 is provided with anvil members 61 (Fig, 8) which may be ofsubstantially thesame construction as the pusher members. An anvilmember 61 is provided in association with each pusher member, and thecooperating pusher and anvil members are so spaced from each other thatthe length of the package will freely fit between the members withtheears 8 and 9 (which are ultimately formed on the package) overlying-thetops of the pusher and anvil members. The table top 19 is, of course,slotted as indicated at 68 (Fig. 1) for the passage of the upstandingcentral parts of the pushers and anvils.

The package having been delivered to the conveyor 24, is then incontinuous motion through the apparatus and it is first brought intothezone of operation of mechanism which folds the upstanding linerportions from the condition illustrated in Fig, 14 to thepackage-closing position illustrated in Fig. 15. The liner-foldingmechanism is similar to that shown in the above-mentionecl Patent2,331,927. It consists of a vertically reciprocable but otherwisestationary end folder 69 (see Figs; 3 and l) which is carried by a crossarm 78 secured to the upper end of a vertically reciprocable rod 1 l.The rod H is vertically slidably mounted in a suitable-bracket or guide'12 which is secured to the conveyor guiding strip 66 nd he undersi e ofthe abletop 1 An ear lsproiectins laterally fr m therod l through aertically extending lot insaid guid 12 has piv ted to itas ind cated at.14 one nd' anadiusta le link 15- The oth r nd of said link is piv t d asin ted at 16 to the free end of a lone transve se arm 71 whi h is r ablymounted on the shaft 59. roller 78 which engages a cam 19 so formed asto periodically permit the rod H and the folder 6-9 to be lowered fromits normally elevated position as illustrated in Fig. 4. A spring 80stretched between the free end of the arm 1'! and a framecarried anchorserves to normally pull the arm and link 15 downwardly as permitted bythe cam iii. The cam is so shaped and so timed relative to the traveland position of each package space provided in the conveyor 24 that thefolder 69 will be lowered into the inside of the package as soon as theupstanding leading end wall of the liner has passed said folder.Continued travel of the package will then cause the rear end wall of thepackage liner to engage the lowered folder so as to be thereby foldedrearwardly or outwardly relative to the rear end of the moving packa e;

Said arm 1! is provided with a The folder s9 is, or course, restored itsvated position in time to permit the leading end of the next succeedingpackage to pass thereunder without engaging it.

At about the same time that the rear end of the upstanding liner isbeing folded rearwardly and outwardly, the front end is being foldedforwardly and outwardly during continuation of the normal forward travelof the package. The front end folding mechanism is illustrated in detailin Fig. 12. It, too, is similar to mechanism shown in said Patent2,331,927 and consists of a stationary cam 8| (see Figs. 3, 12 and 13)carried by a stationary tubular shaft or a bushing 82 which is fitted ina tubular head portion 83 of a fixed, upstanding bracket 84. A shaft 85is journalled in said bushing 82, and is provided adjacent the cam 8|with an expandible or extendible rotary head comprising a plate part 86which is rigidly secured to the shaft 85 and a plate part 81 which ispivoted as indicated at 88 to the rigid part 86. The plate 8'! isequipped with a roller 89 which engages the periphery of the cam 8|, aspring 90 being provided for urging said cam follower 89 into engagementwith said cam. The spring 90 is stretched between an anchor pin 8I whichis rigidly secured to the hub 92 of the plate 86, and a pin 93 which isfixed to the plate 81 and extends through an arcuate slot 94 in theplate 86.

The shaft 85 with its expandible head structure comprising the parts 86and 81 is rotated by means of a chain drive from a driven shaft belowthe table plate I9. To that end the shaft 85 has a sprocket 95 securedto its outer end. The sprocket 95 co-operates with a chain 96 whichextend downwardly through a slot in the table plate (see Figs. 3 and 4)into engagement with a sprocket 91. The sprocket 81 is carried by oneend of a shaft 88 which is suitably journalled in a bearing bracket 99suspended from the table with a driven chain whereby the shaft I 03 is odriven to thereby also drive the shaft 98 and the rotary front endfolding mechanism. The chain represented at I05 which engages'thesprocket I04 passes over suitable guiding sprockets (not shown) and to adriving sprocket I06 (Fig. 9) which is carried by a driven cross-shaftI0'I, the latter being suitably journalled in bearings supported in theframe structure 20. The crossshaft I0! is driven by a bevelled gearconnection comprising the bevel gears I08 and I08 which are respectivelysecured to the main drive shaft 42 and the said shaft I 01.

The main drive shaft 42 may be driven by an electric motor or byconnection to any other source of power. An electric motor mayconveniently be housed within the frame structure of the presentapparatus, and it may be operatively connected to the main drive shaft42 through the agency of a chain drive or suitable speed reducing andspeed controlling mechanism or in any other suitable, known manner. Ifdesired, the power source may consist in a driven connection to eitherthe container filling mechanism or to a unit of mechanism to which thepackages are delivered by the closing and sealing mechanism hereindisclosed.

Incident to the rotation of the end folder elements 86 and 81 around thecam 8| (Fig. 12) the member 81 will be rocked on its pivot 88 relativeto its carrying member 86 so as to thereby project its leading edge andcorner portion I I0 forwardly relative to the corresponding edge andcorner portion of the member 86 thereby, in effect, accelerating theforward travel of the member 86. Such acceleration of the forwardmovement of the rotary structures 86 and 81 causes the forward edge IIOof the member 81 to engage and fold outwardly the leading end wall ofthe container structure.

At the same time that the leading and trailing ends of the container endwalls are being folded forwardly and rearwardly of the package, the sidewall portions are folded inwardly into overlying relation to the top ofthe package content. Such folding is effected by a pair of folder platesIII and H2 (see Figs. 3, 4 and 11) which are respectively hinged asindicated at H3 and H4 to the upper edges of suitable brackets H5 and H8which are respectively secured to the table top I9. These folding platesIII and H2 are adapted to be rocked inwardly from the verticalupstanding position as illustrated in full lines in Figs. 3, 4 and 11 tohorizontally inwardly extending position approximately as represented indotted lines ill-Fig. 11. The folder plates may approach a truehorizontal position somewhat more closely than is illustrated in dottedlines, which position does not necessarily represent the final foldedposition but may be an intermediate position close to the ultimateinwardly folded position. When the plates are so rocked, the upstandingside portions 6 and I of the container liner will, of course, be foldedinwardly. The folding plates III and H2 are somewhat longer than thelength of a package so as to maintain sliding contact with the linerportions during the travel of the package.

The inward folding of the liner side portions 6 and 'I is effected insuch timed relationship to the outward folding of the end portionsthereof, i. e. at about the same time, that the parts will be smoothlyfolded to' form the projecting ears 8 and 9 and the upstanding sealingflange I0. The rear end folder 69 and the front folder structure 86, 8'!serve to support the marginal portions of the walls while the sidefolders III and H2 are folded inwardly, whereby the upstanding jointflange I0 is produced.

The folders I II and H2 are provided with outwardly and downwardlyextending arms II! and H8 respectively (see Figs. 4 and 11), the lowerends of which arms are connected by means of links H9 and I20 to theupper ends of vertically reciprocable rods I2I and I22. The rods I2I andI22 are vertically slidably mounted in suitable guide brackets orsleeves I23I23 which are secured to the chain guiding strip 66 in properalignment with the folder arms Ill and H8.

The lower ends of the vertically slidable posts I2I and I22 (see Fig. 4)are secured to a crosshead I24 which cooperates with the guides I23 tomaintain the posts I2I and I22 in parallel relation for free slidingmovement in the said guides I23. Coil springs I25I25 stretched betweenanchoring pins secured to the upper ends of the guide members I23 and tothe lower ends ofthe posts I2I and I22, serve to normally urge the poststo move upwardly through the guides I23 and to thereby act through thelinks H9 and I20 to rock the folders II I and H2 inwardly to effecttheir described folding operation. Said folding movement is controlledby a cam I26 carried by the main shaft 42. Said cam acts against aroller I21 which is secured to the arm I28 having one end rockablymounted on the shaft 59. The free end of the arm I28 is connected bymeans of an adjustable length link I29 to the cross-head I24 so that thecam I26 is operative to pull the posts or rods IZI, I22 downwardlyagainst the tension of the springs I25 to thereby unfold or open thefolding plates III and H2.

After the upstanding liner portions have been folded to the closedposition illustrated in Fig. 15, the package passes through a sealingmechanism which unites the upstanding joint flap portions II]. Thissealing mechanism is shown in Figs. and 6. It comprises a pair ofsealing wheels or rolls I30 and I3I which are secured to the upper endsof vertically disposed shafts I32 and I33 respectively. Th shaft I32 isjournalled near its upper end in a bearing I34 provided in a portion ofthe chain guide strip 53, and its lower end is journalled in a bearingbracket I35 which is secured to a transverse part of the frame structure29. A suitable thrust bearing is employed in the mounting of the shaftI32 to support it against downward movement. The shaft I32 is driven bya bevel gear connection to the main drive shaft 42, the shaft I32 havina bevel gear I33 secured to its lower end, and the shaft 42 having abevel gear I31 secured thereto and meshing with the gear I36. I

The shaft I33 which carries the other sealin roll, is mounted at itslower end in a bearin I38 provided in the bearing bracket I35, saidbearing I38 being of the self-aligning type which permits the bearingsleeve proper to rock to a limited extent within the supporting bracketI35. Near its upper end, the shaft I33 is journalled in a bearingcarried by a bracket I39 which is secured to the underside of the tabletop I9 in such manner that it may shift slightly horizontally toward andfrom the shaft I32. Spring means I40 is provided for normally urging thebracket I39 toward the shaft I32. The spring I4!) is seated in anexternally screw-threaded socket or sleeve I4I which is threaded througha bracket I42 which is secured to the underside of the table top I3. Byadjusting the sleeve I4I toward or from the bracket I39, the pressure ofthe spring I40 on the bracket I39 may be adjusted.

The sealing rolls I33 and I3I are provided with annular chambers I43 andE44 respectively in their upper portions, and their peripheral portionsare grooved so as to provide relatively narrow ribs I45 on the roll I30and I46 on the roll I3I. These ribs I45 and I43 receive between them theupstanding joint flange II of the package, and incident to the travel ofthe package and the passage of said flange between said ribs, appliessealing pressure to unite the same.

It will be seen that the spring pressure ar rangement I40, I42 permitsthe rolls to separate sufiicientl'y to receive the joint flangetherebetween while at the same time providing adequate sealing pressure.To heat the peripheral ribs of the sealing Wheels, suitable electricalheating elements represented at I41 and I43 are disposed in the annularchambers I43 and I44 respectively of the sealing rolls. The said heatingelements have terminals which extend up wardly into a housing I49wherein connections are made to a suitable source of power. The

heating elements I41 and I48 are stationary and. do not contact therespective rolls, but they are arranged very close thereto so as toeffectively heat the rolls. By heating the rolls as described, they aremade effective to fuse the thermoplastic material of the flanges so asto more effectively seal said flanges together.

A terminal block I50 supports the heater elements and their terminalsand said block is mounted on a bridge plate I5I which is supported atits ends by suitable posts extending upwardly from the table plate I9.This bridge plate I5I is provided with peripheral flange portionsrepresented at I52 which depend from the plate so as to partially coverthe sides of the sealin rolls, thereby improving the general app of thestructure while also to some extent pro viding a guard againstaccidental entrance of foreign material between the sealing rolls.

To condition th joint flange II] for passa e between the sealing rolls,that is to insure that the joint flange extends upwardly in proper po-'sition to enter between the sealing rolls, there is provided a guidemember I53 which is hinged as indicated at I54 to a bracket I55 extendinupwardly from the table plate I9. Said guide member I53 is formed with alongitudinal slot I56 having a flared entrance or mouth as shown at I57to receive and straighten up the joint flange. This member I53 becomessomewhat heated from the heat of the sealing rolls, and serves as apreheater for the joint flange to thereby preliminarily condition theJoint flange for the fusing operation effected by the sealing rolls. Ifdesired, the guide member I53 may be equipped with an independentheating unit I58 which may be connected by flexible conductors to apower source within the terminal box I49. This heating element is notessential but, in some instances, dependin upon the character of thelining material employed, may be desirable.

After the joint flange has been sealed by the sealing rolls, the packageis acted upon by a presser head which folds the upstanding joint flangeinto fiat face-to-face engagement with the top of the package, and alsoapplies pressure to the entire top area of the package to flatten thesame and to also expel any air which may remain between the folded overliner portions and the package content. Air may be so expelled throughthe ends of the liner end ears 8 and 9 which constitute, in effect, flattubes which communicate with the interior of the package. Means forsealing the endwis'e pro-' jecting ears 8 and 9 by seals extendingcrosswise or said cars is provided in association with said airexpelling device. These associated units of mechanism are shown in Figs.'7 to 10, inclusive.

The folding and pressing mechanism for flattening the package top andexpelling air'comprises a presser head I59 which is pivoted as indicatedat ISO to a hanger I6I so as to be capable of limited rocking movementabout the axis of the pivot I53. To limit such rocking movement,

the lower end of the hanger I6I is provided with lateral extensions I32and IE3 which have their lower surfaces spaced slightly from the topsurface of the presser plate I59 for the purpose indicated. The hangerIGI is pivoted as indicated at I64 on an axis transverse to the axis ofthe pivot I60, to a bracket I65 which extends laterally from avertically slidably supported post I66; The hanger I5I is capable ofonly limited rock- 11 ing movement about the axis of its hinge pin I64,such movement being limited by providing square ends I61 on the hangerfor cooperation with correspondingly squared shoulders I68 on thebracket I65.

For folding the joint flange of the package to flatwise position on thetop of the package, the presser head I59 has attached to it a foldingfinger I69 so positioned and so formed that as an incident to the travelof the package, the joint flange will come into engagement with thefolder I69 and be turned over to the desired flatwise position on thetop of the package. Subsequently, the presser head I59 is lowered intopressing engagement with the top of the package so as to expel any airwhich may up to that time remain between the wrapper and the packagecontent. The presser member I59 is also moved horizontally so as totravel in unison with the package whereby the air expelling pressure maybe maintained on the package for a short time interval, while thepackage continues its normal travel. The presser plate is automaticallyelevated from the package and returned to its starting position forengagement with the next succeeding package, and the pressed packageenters into the zone of operation of mechanism for sealing the end ears.

The ear sealing mechanism comprises a sealing head I which is pivoted asshown at I1I to a hanger arm I12 which is rigidly secured directly tothe upper end portion of a vertically slidable post I13. The hanger I12is provided with lateral ear extensions I14 and I which are so formedthat their lower surfaces are slightly spaced from the upper surface ofthe sealing head I10 to permit a very limited rocking movement of thesealing head about its pivot pin I1 I.

At the ends of the sealing head I10 and on its bottom surface, there areprovided pairs of downwardly projecting transverse ribs I16. These ribsare adapted to engage the ear portions 8 and 9 of the package which aresupported on the anvils 62 and 61 of the conveyor chain 24. The ends ofthe sealing head I10 are also transversely bored to receive electricalheating elements I11, I11 for heating the ribs I16 to the extentnecessary to insure effective fusing together of the contacting surfacesof the plies of lining material which form the ears 8 and 9 of thepackage. Electrical connections for the heaters I11 may be made in anysuitable manner, and they may be made in the terminal box I49 of thejoint flange sealing rolls, if desired.

The ear sealing head I10, like the presser head I59 is initially loweredinto engagement with the package ears, then moved laterally in unisonwith th travel of the package, then moved upwardly away from thepackage, and rearwardly to its starting position in preparation foroperation on the next package. The presser head I59 and ear sealing headI10 operate simultaneously on successive packages.

The post I66 which carries the presser head I59 is vertically slidablymounted in a slide I18 which is horizontally slida'bly mounted on ahorizontal track or bar I19. The horizontal track or bar I19 is fixedlymounted at its ends and at a point intermediate its ends, on a frameplate or bracket I80, the latter being secured to th underside of thechain track 66 and to the table I9 by means of bolts as indicated inFig. 10. The portions of the bar I19 intermediate its points ofattachment to said bracket I80 are spaced from the bracket so as topermit the slide I18 and a similar slide I8I to be moved horizontallyalong said bar I19. The slide I8I vertically slidably supports the postI13 which carries the ear sealing head I10.

Horizontal sliding movement is imparted to the slides I18 and I8I bymeans of a cam I82 carried by the cross-shaft I01. This cam I82 actsagainst a cam following roller I83 which is carried by the lower end ofan arm I84, the latter being rockably mounted intermediate its ends on ashaft I85. The shaft I85 is supported in fixed position by means of ahanger I86 and an upstanding bracket I81 (see Figs. 9 and 10), thebracket I86 being secured to the bracket plate I80, and the bracket I81extending upwardly from a part of the frame 20.

The upper end of the arm I84 is connected by means of a link I84a to theslide I18 which is in turn connected by a long link I84b to the slideI8I. A spring I84c stretched between the upper end of the arm I84 and ananchoring point on the frame serves to yieldingly maintain the camfollowing roller I83 in operative engagement with the cam I82. The camI82 rotates in a clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 8, and serves byrocking the arm I84 in a clockwise direction of movement to advance theslides I18 and I8I on the horizontal bar I19. Return movement of theslides is, of course, effected by the spring I84a.

For effecting the vertical component of movement of the presser head I59and the ear sealing head I10, there is provided a cam I88 on the saidshaft I01, said cam operating against a cam following roller I89 whichis carried by an ear or lug depending from a bar I90. The bar I90 issuspended from the bracket I80 by means of a pair of links I9I and I92so that the bar I90 may be rocked about the axes of the upper end pivotsI93 of the links I9I and I92. A tension spring I94 is stretched betweenan anchor point on the frame structure and the bar I90 in such a manneras to maintain the cam following roller I89 in operative engagement withthe cam I88.

It will be seen that the cam I88 acting against the roller I89 isoperative to rock the bar I90 laterally as a result of which the barswings about the axes of the said pivots I93.

The bar I90 acts through a roller I95 which is carried by the lower endportion of the post I13 to control lowering and to effect raising ofsaid post as an incident to the said swinging movement of the bar I90.Upward movement of the post I13 and the sealing head I10 is positivelyeffected by force derived from the cam I88. Downward movement of thesealing head and its post I13 is dependent upon gravity, but if desireda suitable spring or weight means may be provided to additionally urgethe post I13 downwardly. However, the weight of the post and of thesealing head carried thereby is substantial and provides adequate forcefor moving these parts downwardly and keeping the roller I95 inengagement with the upper edge of the bar I90. The weight of thesevertically moving parts thus determines the sealing pressure applied bythe heating ribs I16 against the package ears and the underlying anvilparts which support said ears.

The presser head post I66 is moved vertically in the slide I18 by asimilar arrangement which comprises a bar I96 which is suspended at itsends from the bracket I80 by a pair of links I 81 and I98. The bar I96is thus swingable about the axes of the upper pivots I99, I99 of thelinks I91 seesaw and I99. Such swinging movement is efiected by means ofan angularly disposed link 299 which is pivoted at its lower end asshown at 29I toone end of the bar I96 by a pivot bolt which alsoconnects the link I98 to the bar I96. The other end of said angularlydisposed link 299 is pivotally connected as indicated at 202 to the linkI9I intermediate the ends of the latter. When the link I9I swings aboutits upper end pivot I93, its movement will be imparted through theangularly disposed link '299 to the bar I96. Because of the location ofthe pivot 292, the extent of swinging movement imparted to the bar I96will be somewhat less than that of the bar I99. Upward movement of thebar I96 is transmitted to the presser plate post I66 by means of aroller 293 which is secured to the lower end portion of the post I66 inposition to rest on the upper edge of the bar I96. The reduced extent ofvertical motion imparted to the presser head (incident to the describedarrangement of the actuating link 299) is suficient, and it will, ofcourse, be understood that the weight of the post I66 and the presserhead structure determines the pressure which the presser head I59applies to the top of the package for smoothing and air expulsionpurposes. Here again, weights or springs may be applied, if desired, toadd to the downward pressure of the presser head. The cams I82 and I69are, of course, so formed and so timed relative to each other as toeifect vertical and horizontal components of motion of the presser headand sealing head in the relationship desired.

In Fig. 8, the presser and sealing heads I59 and I19 respectively areillustrated in an intermediate lowered position wherein the presser headI59 is expelling air from one package and the sealing head is sealingthe end ears of a preceding package. As shown in this position, the barsI99 and I95 are in their lowermost positions and are temporarily atrest, the cam follower I99 being in engagement with an intermediateportion of a recessed, concentric, rest portion of the cam I99. Thepresser and sealing heads are, however, in horizontal movement due tothe action of a rising portion of the cam I82 and the cam follower I83and its lever I94.

At. about the end of the horizontal travel of the presser and sealingheads, or slightly before the end of such travel, a rising portion ofthe cam I 88 acts on the cam follower I89 to effect upward swingingmovement of the bars I99 and I 96 about their supporting pivots, therebyto effect upward movement of the presser and sealing heads from therespective packages preparatory to rearward return movement of saidheads for engagement with succeeding packages. Upon disengagement of thepresser and sealing heads from the packages, horizontal return motion isimparted to said heads by the action of the spring I940 which ispermitted to contract by a falling portion of the cam I82. Meanwhile,the cam I88 maintains the presser and sealing heads in elevated positionincident to a high concentric or rest portion of the cam. When thepresser and sealing heads arrive at their retracted, starting position,a falling or descending portion of the cam I89 permits the spring I94 toeffect downward swinging movement of the bars I99 and I96 from theelevated position illustrated in dotted lines in Fig. 8. Such downwardswinging movement of the bars I99 and I99 serves, of course, to effectlowering of the presser and sealing heads into engagement with theunderlying packages as already explained, and a rising portion of thecam I82 then acts to effect forward movement of the slides I I8 and I8land the presser and sealing heads as aforesaid. It will be understoodthat the cams I82 and I88 are so formed that the downward and upwardstarting and finishing movements of the presser and sealer heads areeffected while these heads are also moved forwardly at the same speedthat the packages are propelled by the package conveyor. Hence, there isno slippage or wiping movement of the presser and sealing heads on theportions of the package which they engage. Injury to the packages isthereby avoided.

After the ear sealing operation has been completed, the packages areready to be transferred to other mechanism which will complete thepackage by applying a cover thereto or performing other operations. Inthis instance, subsequent apparatus may receive the packages by means ofa conveyer diagrammatically represented at 294 (Fig. 7) which extendsbetween'the present top closing and sealing apparatus and the subsequentapparatus. In the present apparatus, the conveyor 294 is guided by asprocket wheel 295 which is carried by a shaft 295 suitably journalledin bearings carried by the frame structure 29 (see Figs. '7, 8 and 9).As shown, the conveyor 294 is laterally offset from the main conveyor 24of the present closing and sealing apparatus. For shifting the packagestransversely from the conveyor 24 to the conveyor 294, there' isprovided a rotary shifting device which consists of a head 29'! (Figs. 7and 8) which is journalled as indicated at 298 on one end of an arm 299.The arm 299 is fixedly mounted at its other end on the upper end of avertical shaft 2 I 9 which is suitably journalled in bearings carried bythe frame structure and driven by intermeshing bevel gear connectionindicated at 2I I to the main drive shaft 42. The head 291 has fixedlyassociated therewith a sprocket 2I2 which meshes with a chain 2I3 whichin turn also engages a sprocket 2 I4 on the upper end of said shaft 2I0.Rotation imparted to the arm 299 will, of course, be transmitted to thehead 29?, but because of the sprocket and chain connections 2I2, 2 I3and 2 I4, the head 29'! will maintain a relatively fixed position inwhich its broad head will maintain contact with the side of the packageduring its lateral movement from the conveyor 24 to the conveyor294.

The conveyor 294 is, of course, provided with suitable means forengaging the package to insure its movement with the conveyor, and aguide bar 294a, is provided at one side of the conveyor for cooperatingwith the transfer head 291 to position the packages squarely over theconveyor 294.

The shaft 296 may be driven by means of a chain drive comprising a chain2 I 5 which engages sprockets 2I6 on the shaft I9'I (Fig. 9) and 2I'I onthe shaft 296. The shaft 296 also carries a sprocket 2I8 which isengaged by the conveyor chain 24 to drive the latter. To maintain thechain 2I5 at the proper degree of tautness for smoothly driving theshaft 296, the chain 2 I 5 may engage an idler sprocket 2I9 (Fig. 8)which may be horizontally movably mounted and/ or adjustably mounted forsetting in selected position resiliently urged to move horizontally awayfrom the sprocket 2 I1 relative to said sprocket 2 I I.

The described mechanism provides package closing, pressing and sealingmechanism which performs its operations on the packages while theytravel continuously, in a single direction, through the machine. Smoothworking, quiet, rapid and trouble-free operation is thereby attained.The mechanism is of comparatively simple character, presents a clean cutappearance and, because of its relative simplicity, is easy to keep in aclean and sanitary condition. Various changes in the describedarrangementmay be made without departing from the invention.

I claim:

1. In package sealing apparatus of the class described, the combinationof a continuously driven conveyor, means for delivering unsealedpackages to said conveyor, and means operative during the continuoustravel of the packages on said conveyor to seal the packages along linesextending transversely of their direction of travel on said conveyor,said sealing means comprising an anvil member carried by said conveyorfor supporting a portion of the package which is to be sealed, apressure member normally overlying the path of travel of the packagescarried by said conveyor, and means for lowering said pressure memberinto cooperating engagement with said anvil and for efiecting travel ofsaid pressure member in unison with said anvil, whereby said pressuremember and anvil cooperate to effect said transverse sealing of thepackage during the travel thereof as aforesaid.

2. In package sealing apparatus of the class described, the combinationof a continuously driven conveyor, means for delivering unsealedpackages to said conveyor, and means operative during continuous travelof the packages on said conveyor to seal the packages along linesextending transversely of their direction of travel on said conveyor,said means comprising an anvil carried by said conveyor and serving tosupport a portion of the package which is to be sealed, a pressuremember normally spaced from said anvil, means for moving said pressuremember toward said anvil for cooperating therewith to apply pressure tosaid package portion, and means for efiecting movement of said pressuremember in unison with said anvil for a limited portion of the travel ofsaid anvil while maintaining said cooperating relationship between saidpressure member and anvil.

3. In apparatus of the class described, the combination of acontinuously driven conveyor for propelling packages which are to besealed, an anvil carried by said conveyor for supporting a scalableportion of a package during its propulsion by said conveyor, a pressuremember, means for mounting said pressure member for movement toward andfrom said anvil and for movement in unison with said anvil, and cammeans for imparting to said pressure member 16 said movement toward andfrom and in unison with said anvil.

4. In package sealing apparatus of the class described, the combinationof a continuously driven conveyor, means for delivering to said conveyorpackages having tubular, unsealed ears extending laterally therefrom,and means operative during the continuous travel of the packages on saidconveyor to seal said ears along lines extending transversely of theirdirection of travel, said sealing means comprising anvils carried bysaid conveyor for supporting said ears, a sealing member adapted tosuccessively cooperate with said anvils to eiTect said sealing, meansmounting said sealing member for vertical movement toward and from saidanvils and for horizontal movement in unison therewith, and means foreffecting said vertical and horizontal movement of said sealing member.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4 wherein the means for mounting thesealing member comprises a normally stationary horizontal guide bar, aslide element movable horizontally on said guide bar, a post verticallyslidably mounted in said slide element, said sealing member beingsecured to said post, and wherein the means for efiecting said verticaland horizontal movement of the sealing member comprises a cam, meansactuated by said cam for imparting horizontal movement to said slide, asecond cam, and means actuated by said cam for effecting verticalmovement of said post, said cams being timed to effect the vertical andhorizontal components of motion of said sealing member in predeterminedcooperating relationship to said conveyor carried anvil.

JOHN RIEMER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,961,697 Little June 5, 19342,114,624 Bergstein Apr. 19, 1938 2,14 ,505 Gammeter Jan. 3, 19392,232,783 Hausheer Feb. 25, 1941 2,262,799 Everett Nov. 18, 19412,299,504 Sergent Oct. 20, 1942 2,331,927 Palmer Oct. 19, 1943 2,393,961Almgren Feb. 5, 1946 2,475,617 Irmscher July 12, 1949

